Hawaiki

Rising Polynesian uke star Taimane Gardner is a hapa-Samoan (part-Caucasian, part-Samoan) player raised in Hawaii. A musical prodigy, she was busking in Waikiki aged ten, taught by uke virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro when she was 11, and playing in Hawaiian showman Don Ho’s band at 13. Like Shimabukuro, she’s melded traditional styles with diverse genres, from Bach to Zeppelin, fiery flamenco to snippets of Bizet, widening the ukulele’s previously somewhat restricted island repertoire. On her first new album in four years, Oahu-based Taimane composes, plays, sings and produces with slick finesse. The opening title track sets the mood, evoking the revered Hawaiki – a spiritual realm where all Polynesians originate and return after death. Her rapid-fire licks take over on ‘Goddess Rising’, the blistering 60s surf rock of ‘Pipeline’s Daughter’, and ‘North Shore Party’ where her uke-shredding triple-picking is on full display. That’s balanced by gentler fare on ‘Pulotu’, ‘Maluhia’ and the tranquil Pacific groove of ‘Bora Bora Sunset’. With added Samoan drumming and Haitian percussion, Hawaiki is respectful to tradition and fun.